This is another of the Gonbuto bowls. Nissin Gonbuto Kitsune Udon has a unique preparation regime which was quite hard to figure out – I figured it out after a lot of research (to be honest, I read the side numbers). Let’s have a look at this Nissin Gonbuto Kitsune Udon bowl!

A distributor/import sticker (click image to enlarge).

Detail from the side panels (click image to enlarge).

Detail of the lid (click image to enlarge). To prepare, boil 320ml water and set aside. Take udon pack and microwave at 500w for 30 seconds. Add soup base sachet to bowl and add in boiling water. Stir. Add in udon you microwaved. Add on kitsune and sprinkle with garnish. Enjoy!

The fresh udon pouch.

The soup base sachet.

Lots of powder.

The garnish sachet.

Lots of little bits.

Fried tofu!

Finished (click image to enlarge). The udon came out just right – standard fresh pouch gauge and chew. The broth has a soy and fish flavor to it which was kind of ho hum to me but not bad. The fried tofu was way too sweet for my liking, almost like a bread with syrup. 2.75 out of 5.0 stars. JAN bar code 4902105216415.

I often get asked ‘can you make a top ten gluten free list?’ My answer unfortunately is always no. Since I’m not someone who’s a doctor and not having to modify my diet for gluten intake, I would be afraid of telling people ‘oh yeah – eat this!’ and then they get sick, file a lawsuit against me, and I end up so poor I can’t evern afford instant noodles! But there’s a however coming up! I have been thinking I may start an annual top ten rice noodles list. Why? Well, my top tens probably will never include rice noodles or rice vermicelli; instant noodles are more of the wheat flour kind of thing. Rice noodles however do appear to be mostly gluten free as this variety is, so a top ten list of rice varieties might be a great place to start if you’re looking for something that you can have if gluten isn’t on your personal menu. Let’s have a look at these gluten free spicy shrimp noodles by Mama!

Here’s detail of the side panels (click image to enlarge). Contains shrimp and fish. To prepare, open lid halfway and add in contents of sachets. Add boiling water to fill line and re-cover for 4 minutes. Stir and enjoy!

Detail of the lid (click image to enlarge).

An included fork!

The rice noodle block.

The powder soup base sachet.

Quite a decent quantity.

The oil sachet.

Oily and fragrant.

Finished (click image to enlarge). Added coriander, fish ball, white onion and mung bean sprouts. The noodles are very good – broad in nature and light in chew. They’re slippery, so I found that using kitchen scissors to make a couple crosscuts through the mass of noodles in the pot made them easier to navigate. The broth is really good – has a spicy and lemongrass flavor with a nice shrimp hit, plus a nice sweetness as well I wasn’t expecting. The little shrimp are in there as well, which hydrated quite nicely. Very pleased with this one. 5.0 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 052066006779.

Last year, I found this Baixiang brand up in Canada and tried the spicy beef variety. I found this one down here in the USA a month or so ago. Let’s check it out!

Here’s the back of the package (click image to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, boil 500ml water and add noodle block as well as sachet contents. Cook for 3 minutes and enjoy!

The noodle block.

The powder soup base.

A light powder.

Seasoned oil.

Thick and pasty.

The vegetables sachet.

Looks like carrot and green onion amongst other things.

Finished (click image to enlarge). Added pork, white onion, mung bean sprouts and spring onion. The noodles are flat and a little broader than most. They have a different kind of chew to them I’m not extremely keen on – almost a little rubbery. The broth has a pork flavor although a slight bitterness. The vegetables hydrated very well. 3.0 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 886727003315.

MyKuali Penang White Curry Noodle was the number one instant on the 2014 top ten list. So what do they do? They’ve changed it to make it better. This is pretty fascinating, but not at all surprising. What I heard again and again while visiting MyKuali in Penang last year was that the hawkers will change their recipes all the time; improving them and refining them. It looks as though that’s what MyKuali is doing here with their product line. Let’s see what’s different about their Penang White curry Noodle!

Here’s the back of the package (click image to enlarge). Contains shrimp. To prepare, boil 380ml water. Add noodle block and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in contents of the three sachets and enjoy!

The noodle block.

Dry seasoning powder sachet.

Has a seafood scent.

A sachet of non-dairy creamer.

A very light powder.

The paste sachet.

Has a strong and complex scent of spicy, seafood and spices.

Finished (click image to enlarge). Added broccoli, tau pok, shrimp and mung bean. The noodles seem a little more elastic and fuller this time – just a little more. The chew and mouthfeel are excellent. The broth is just amazing stuff again – definitely very spicy and strong garlic going on. The broth is darker as well. A couple little changes but still just as wonderful as ever! 5.0 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 9555655005197.